two very large appetites

[heyprettyrave]

I have two red foots that eat ALOT... i just bought a large bag of lettuce and they've gone through it in two days, is it normal for them to eat this much and also what do you guys do? it gets costly buying bags of lettuce, do you guys plants gardens lol

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i try to keep their dish full when it gets low, is that my mistake? i probably fill their dish up about three times a day

 

[dmarcus]

As long as they have food available they will eat it. Maybe just feed once or twice a day and only leave the food in there a little while then what ever they don't eat remove.

 

[Tropical Torts]

Yeah you shouldnt have food in there constantly because they are opportunistic eaters so they will eat whenever the oppurtunity arises.

 

[Madkins007]

How big are they again?

Besides the lettuce, do you feed anything more substantial?

Once they have eaten a real meal, you can offer them high fiber, low calorie stuff as filler- edible plant leaves, flowers, mushrooms, hays, etc. to 'top them off' and help them feel full. Lettuce is not really a very 'filling' food item.

 

[heyprettyrave]

when its a lettuce day i just give them lettuce and the occasional mushrooms? should i be doing more than that to fill them up

 

[Redstrike]

I usually collect a good number of weeds outside. I can generally find dandelion greens & flowers, plantains (a few varieties), rose of sharon, clover, chicory, strawberry, rose, and common mallow readily around mine and neighbors yards. I'd guess they'd be a bit more filling than lettuces, but I'm not entirely sure on this and this is all dependent on your location as these weeds may not be readily available to you.

Mark, what food(s) do you consider substantial and real? I'm curious, please don't misread the tone here!

I'm often surprised at the amount my two hatchlings can put away as well. They get a lot of greens and mushrooms, fruit once/week, insects once every couple weeks, and a tortoise diet mix (Zoo Med & Mazuri mixed) once per month. They're ~3 months old, thus the strict diet.

 

[AnthonyC]

I don't have Red Foots or Yellow Foots, I have baby Sulcatas but I feel your pain! Little garbage disposals! I pretty much do the same that Chris does... scavenge plants from outside when I can & supplement with grocery veggies. Unfortunately the early snow has pretty much wiped out my dandelions and broad leaf plantains.

 

[tyler0912]

I feed once a day,
Tiago would eat more if he got the chance!

 

[heyprettyrave]

Yeah i live in NY so all of our outside weeds are gone already lol.. i suppose i could look for more of that stuff in the store.. (the dandelion greens and such) and from now on i will only be feeding them once ish a day they always wait at the food dish when its empty so i feel bad and i give them more lol

 

[Madkins007]

(snip)
Mark, what food(s) do you consider substantial and real? I'm curious, please don't misread the tone here!

(snip)

By 'substantial" I meant things that contain the bulk of the nutrients, proteins, calories, etc. The very things missing in most grocery store lettuces. This would be things like fruits, veggies, greens, meats, pellets, etc. I would also include many of the weeds you mention- certainly grape or mulberry leaves, etc.

By 'real', I only meant the main meal, rather than a more empty 'graze' or snack.

I consider the 'light' food items to be plain lettuces, cabbage, flowers, hays, mushrooms, etc.- things that are filling, have good calcium and fiber, but not much in the way of calories, proteins, fats, etc.

I was just thinking that if her main foods are 'light', that may be why they are always hungry.

However, since Red-foots, like so many other tortoises, are programmed by nature to eat a lot when a lot is available, then that is what they are doing. In the wild, they have seasons of plenty, and seasons of lean. They grow a lot during the plenty, and more slowly in the lean- but this pattern also may be a big secret behind preventing pyramiding, etc. by slowing some forms of growth periodically.

I am toying with, but not ready to try yet, a plan in which the tortoises get alternating months or quarters of 'plenty' and 'lean', but I need to do more research to see how the weather/climate, photoperiod, etc. combine in nature. I also want to try to figure out if it affects all ages/sizes equally.

 

[austinl01]

So you guys are talking about plantain/banana leaves?

 

[Redstrike]

(snip)
Mark, what food(s) do you consider substantial and real? I'm curious, please don't misread the tone here!

(snip)

I am toying with, but not ready to try yet, a plan in which the tortoises get alternating months or quarters of 'plenty' and 'lean', but I need to do more research to see how the weather/climate, photoperiod, etc. combine in nature. I also want to try to figure out if it affects all ages/sizes equally.

I've been toying with this idea as well, but wanted to look into the same parameters prior to "taking the plunge".

Austin,
We're talking about the weed plantain: Plantago major, P. ovata, P. lanceolata, etc.